The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-27
CARLISLE ON DEMOCRACY
HE GIVES REASONS FOR IT'S CON-
TINUANCE IN POWER


TINUANCE IN POWER.
Reform Good Thing-Opposed to
Land Monopoly and High Tariffs,
But for Free Ships.
From the Nei0 York Herald
Mr.. John G. Carlisle, Speaker of the last
House of Representatives, comes to the de-
tense of the Democratic party in the Octo-
Der number of the Forum, which is shortly
to appear. The article is an indirect reply
10 Gov. Foraker's recent irrational utter
ances. Among the reasons Mr. Carlisle
gives why the Democratic party should be
retained in power are the following:
LAND.
Much has already been done during the pres
ent administration to reclaim lands condtionally
granted to railroad and other corporations to
annul fraudulent entries, to prevent unlawful
enclosures, and to protect the timber and min
erals upon the public domain; but the work is
still incomplete, and il will require additional
legislation and constant vigilance upon the part
of those charged with the administration of the
laws to prevent the improper appropriation of a
ing to the government. In order to do this the
cooperation of the legislative and executive de-
partments is absolutely necessary, and past ex-
perience has shown that this cooperation, ex
cept to a limited extent, could not be secured
until after a Democratic administration was in
augurated.
The foundations of the existing system under
which immense landed estates have been ac-
ouired by foreign and domestic corporations
and syndcates, were laid by the Republican
party, and the fraudulent practices which have
despoied the public domain of its most fertile
and valuable sections were begun and contin-
ted while Republican officials alone were
charged with the duty of enforcing the laws
and projecting the interests of the government
and the people.
Even now, when the magnitude of the evil is
almost universally recognized and the demand
for immediate reform is urgently pressed by the
homeless labor of the country, the Republican
Senate either refuses to act at all, or proceeds
slowly and reluctantly to the consideration of
the subject. On the other hand. the Democratic
House has been earnest and active in its efforts
to secure such changes in the laws as will dedi-
cate the public lands to actual settlers under
the homestead law, and has even gone SO far as
to amend its rules in order to give such meas
ures preference over other business.
REVENUE REFORM.
Another most important. question Mr..
Carlisle holds is the reduction of the reve-
nue. and taxation. He says:
The only debatable question is, in what man
ner shall the revenue and taxation be reduced?
Upon this question the two political parties
are divided, although there are some Republi-
cans who are inclined to take the Democratic
view and some Democrats who favorthe Repub-
lican policy. II is clear that it is possible to re-
duce the revenue without reducing the taxation,
and equally clear that it is possible to re-
duce taxation to certain extent without
ducing the revenue. The rates of taxation upon
imported goods might be made so high that all
importations would cease, and the government
would thus be prevented from collecting any
revenue whatever from that source, but this
would not diminish taxation upon the people;
on the contrary, it would greatly increase their
burdens, but they would be compelled to pay
the whole tribute to the domestic producer of
the dutiable goods instead of paying part of
it to the government, as they do now.
Mr.. Carlisle thinks the Democratic plan
the best. He says:
To reduce both revenue and taxation at the
same time is the problem now presented, and
the true Democratic solution is to abolish, as far
as practicable, the taxes on the actual necessa-
ries OF life and on the raw materials used in
their production, and to revise simplify and in
proper cases reduce the duties on the other
articles embraced in the tariff schedules. The
prime object should be to provide a sufficient
revenue for the support of the government at
the least possible eXpens. and Inconvenience to
the people who pay the taxes, and to impose
the heaviest burdens upon those who are able to
indulge in the use of Injuries rather than upon
those who consume only the common necessa-
ries of life. The Republican solution is, to re-
peal all the internal taxes upon whisky, beer
and manufactured tobacco and retain a high
rate of taxation on the food and fuel and
clothing Of the people, and on the building ma
teriafs and implements of labor.
PROTECTION DOES NOT PROTECT.
Mr.. Carlisle thus refutes one of the stand
ing arguments of the Protectionists:
The statement constantly made that the
Democratic party, if il had power, would at
once reduce the rates of duty to such degree
as to give the products of foreign labor an adj
vantage in our own markets, is as groundess
as the numerous other false predictions with
which the people were deluded for twenty
years by Republican orators and newspapers,
and yet it has been successfully used to alarm
the aboring classes and prevent them from OPP
posing system of taxation which while it does
not increase the amount of their wages, greatly
dimnShes their purchasing power. Every well
informed man knows that any average rate of
taxation upon imported goods which would
enable the Government to realize the amount of
revenue it will be compelled to raise from that
source would much more than compensate for
the difference between the cost of labor here
and in other manufacturing countries.
FREE SHIPS.
He concludes with word for free ships:
The Democratic party has always been the
friend of the navy and the merchant marine
and so long as it remained in power the Ameri
can flag was displayed on every sea and in
every commercial port. Seventy-five years ago,
when the republic vas in its infancy, our ships
of war won imperishable renown in the conflict
with Great Britain, the boasted mistress of the
seas. and up to the beginning of the late civil
more than three-fouTths or our foreign
commerce was carried in Our own vessels. Now,
after twenty four years of Republican DONNA
ton. we have no naval establishment worthy OF
he name. and scarcely more than oneSeventh
part of our foreign carrying trade is done by
American ships. Free ships and liberal laws
for The regulation of trade, instead of restrict.
i've legislation and uniTendly taxation, would
10 more in few years to restore our merchant
marine and increase our commerce with south
america and other parts of the world than was
accomplished during all the time the Republi-
can party had charge of the government.